Forever Yours
by livefreeandshipfree
Summary: Mitch squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to make the horrible paper go away. Jerome was coming home. He was. Just because those Navy officers had showed up at their apartment with the letter and their stupid apologies didn't mean that Jerome was gone. He'd promised, after all.


April 14, 2014

Mitch squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to make the horrible paper go away. Jerome was coming home. He _was._ Just because those Navy officers had showed up at his apartment with the letter and their stupid apologies didn't mean that Jerome was gone. He'd promised, after all.

_"__I__'__ll see you soon, Biggums.__" __Jerome pulled Mitch in for a hug. _

_ "__Don__'__t go,__" __Mitch pleaded half-heartedly. They both knew what Jerome would say next._

_ "__Mitch, I have to. America needs me. Not that that would mean shit if you could be safe without this, but the war is threatening every man, woman, and child, and I have to protect you. At any cost. I love you.__"_

_ "__I love you too. Promise you__'__ll come back to me?__" __Mitch asked._

_ "__I promise.__" __As Jerome said those words, the busy airport faded away and there was no one but Mitch and his Jerome, his Jerome Robert Hughes-Aceti who was going to board that airplane and be far, far away in three, two, one __…_

May 14, 2014

So it had been a month since the letter came. That didn't mean anything. Jerome wouldn't break the promise they'd made.

_"__Mitch, I want to be your soul-mate, your other half. I want to be the one you come home to everyday, the one you grow old with. I want you to marry me. I want to be yours forever.__"_

July 4, 2014

Mitch didn't feel like celebrating America day with Jerome still far away.

_And suddenly their lips crashed into each other. Mitch was surprised but quickly kissed Jerome back, pouring all the pent-up love he__'__d held for the other into this one moment. _

_ When they were out of breath, Jerome remarked, __"__You taste like ketchup.__"_

September 20, 2014

It rained. Jerome loved the rain.

_"__What are you doing?__" __Mitch couldn__'__t believe it. __"__You__'__ll get all _wet."

_"__I__'__m dancing in the rain, Mitch!__" __Jerome__'__s eyes were closed and his expression was that of pure bliss. When he opened them, they were clear as diamonds and full of light as he looked right at Mitch and said, __"__You should come join me!__"_

_ Mitch supposed that was the day he fell in love with his best friend. _

October 31, 2014

Mitch didn't wear a costume this year. He still opened the apartment door when kids rang the bell, still passed out Snickers and Twix and Skittles, still plastered that same happy smile on his face for them all, but it wasn't the same without Jerome to be the mustard to his ketchup, the salt to his pepper, the Anna to his Elsa. (That was actually their plan.)

_"__Aah!__" __Mitch shrieked as the psychokiller jumped out of the alleyway and cut off the heroine__'__s arm with a chainsaw._

_ "__It__'__s only a movie, Mitch,__" __Jerome hugged Mitch tightly, equally scared. __"__But we__'__ll be okay. We__'__re together.__"_

_ "__Together.__"_

December 25, 2014

_"__Leave him alone!__" __Mitch shouted. He didn__'__t know why he did. Standing up to Percy was like standing up to an angry bear. But he couldn__'__t let his friend get hurt._

January 1, 2014

Mitch's New Year's Resolution was to get Jerome back.

_"__Jerome, will we be best friends in ten years?__"_

_ "__Yeah.__"_

_ "__Twenty?__"_

_ "__Yeah.__"_

_ "__A hundred?__"_

_ "__Always.__"_

April 14, 2015

Mitch stared at the still-unopened letter. He sighed and picked it up.

_Dear Mitchell Donald Ralph Hughes-Aceti, _the letter read, _I__'__ve been writing you letters ever since I got on the airplane, but I__'__m assuming you never got them, or you got them after I__'__d moved camps, because I haven__'__t heard from you in 3 months. I still keep your picture in my pocket at all times. You bring me the best luck on the team. I love you, I love you, I love you. I don__'__t say it enough. I won__'__t ever get to say it enough._

_ Mitch, I__'__m dying. My team, we got gassed real bad. I can barely write what I need to say, and the words just won__'__t come to me. I only hope I can finish this for you, because I want you to have something to remember me by. I__'__m never coming home. They say I__'__ve got 24 hours left at the most. The least? I__'__ll get to finish this letter._

_ Biggums, I love you, I love you, I love you. I need you, I need you, I need you. I love you, I love you, I love you. _

_ Forever yours,_

_ Jerome Robert Hughes-Aceti. _

_ P. S. I love you, I love you, I love you. _

Mitch cried.

April 14, 1995

_"__Hey, what__'__s your name?__"_

_ "__Jerome.__"_


End file.
